Deceit: Weapon of Choice

The dust has settled, and by now, the terrorists carrying out the attack on London have been identified. The most troubling aspect I’ve found was how three of the four seemed to be simply normal; nothing suspicious about them at all. Though not typical, this is not an isolated personality description of an eventual suicide bomber.

But even more troubling is to be told, after 9/11, 3/11, Theo van Gogh, and 7/7, that it is only the extremist trying to destroy our way of life and that most Muslims are real freedom loving people wanting the good life. Although this may hold true in most circumstances, how do I know whether or not the Muslim living next door to me is benevolent or actually in cahoots with extremist?

For most of his short life, Hasib Hussain's horizons stretched little further than the lattice-work of narrow streets and Victorian terraces of Holbeck, on the southern outskirts of Leeds city centre.

Like his older brother and two older sisters, he went to a nursery 200 metres from home while his father, Mahmood, and mother, Maniza, were at work.

At the primary school next door he was said to be a normal, unremarkable pupil. After school he bought his sweets from Ajimal Singh's corner shop, like all the other children, and kicked a plastic football around the street.

The family of teenage suicide bomber Hasib Hussain spoke of their "devastation" and described their son as a "loving and normal young man".

In a statement issued through West Yorkshire Police, they expressed their disbelief that the 18-year-old was involved in the bus attack which killed 14 people. "Hasib was a loving and normal young man who gave us no concern and we are having difficulty taking this in," said his family.

Imagine you've got a Muslim neighbor who is actually a radical, but hasn't yet revealed to you his inner radical thoughts. He may seem like a nice family-oriented, hard-working, reliable guy, but then at a barbecue he tells his private view that the "worldwide Jewish movement" is the embodiment of evil, and that Israel must be destroyed.

One moment you think he's a reasonably normal guy, and a moment later you realize he lives in a very dark world. Still, there he is, smiling at you while he flips a burger and offers you another cold soda.

When jihadist-style bombings happen in Riyadh, that is a Muslim-Muslim problem. That is a police problem for Saudi Arabia. But when Al-Qaeda-like bombings come to the London Underground, that becomes a civilizational problem. Every Muslim living in a Western society suddenly becomes a suspect, becomes a potential walking bomb.

...

And the West will do it in a rough, crude way - by simply shutting them out, denying them visas and making every Muslim in its midst guilty until proven innocent.

If we really are in a holy war, then our enemies are obviously using deceit.

No wonder Islamophobia is on the rise.

Note: I'm not writing this piece to vilify Muslims, but instead feel it is necessary to add this idea to the intellectual table for discussion... after all, in the GRAND SCHEME Islam is at war with the West (Charles Martel - September 11th).